The 2024-25 season’s MVP race is between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, with the former being the favorite to win the award. It appears that NBA players would be delighted with him winning, as Rachel Nichols revealed on Open Court that James Harden told her about their preference for the winner of the award.
“I talked to James Harden for a little bit this morning before the Clippers left for Denver,” Nichols stated. “And I said, ‘Who’s the best player? And he said, ‘Well, no question Jokic is the best player. But even he said, All the players, we want to see Shai win MVP because of the season he had and the winning.
“I think that really factors in for them more than maybe some people on the outside who are just looking at stats, stats, stats, stats, stats see it,” Nichols continued. “But he goes, ‘Of course, Jokic is the best player.”
That’s a fair assessment from Harden. Just because you’re the best player in the league doesn’t mean you always win the MVP award. If that were the case, then Michael Jordan and LeBron James would have won more than five and four, respectively.
Jokic has undoubtedly had a season for the ages. The 30-year-old averaged 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, 10.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game for the Denver Nuggets in 2024-25 while shooting 57.6% from the field and 41.7% from beyond the arc.
Jokic dragged the Nuggets to the fourth seed in the West with a 50-32 record, and that would have been enough to run away with MVP in most seasons. Becoming just the third player to average a triple-double for a season while leading your team to 50 wins is a very special feat, but it’s most likely not going to be enough for him to win the award for the fourth time.
Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 32.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game for the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2024-25. The 26-year-old won the scoring title along the way and led the Thunder to an outstanding 68-14 record, the best in the NBA.
Only four teams in NBA history have won more than 68 games in a season, which lets you know just how impressive that is. The Thunder aren’t a superteam either, with Jalen Williams being the only player apart from Gilgeous-Alexander to make the All-Star. They’re undoubtedly a very good team, but he has elevated them to greater heights.
Getting back to Harden’s claim about the players wanting Gilgeous-Alexander to win MVP, he isn’t the first to say that. Tyrese Haliburton believes the Thunder superstar is the MVP and added that he’d win a player poll as well.
Both Harden and Haliburton would be glad to hear that Nichols, who has an MVP vote, went with Gilgeous-Alexander, too. She believes it will be a close race and opted for the three-time All-Star because of team wins.
Nichols’ co-host Chris Mannix is another voter, and he, too, went with Gilgeous-Alexander. Mannix believes Jokic is the best player in the world and called him the greatest offensive player he’s ever seen, but he reckons the Thunder star is a more complete player, as he is a great defender as well. That is another point in Gilgeous-Alexander’s favor, and it would be quite surprising if he doesn’t win MVP.
